All posts tagged Mike Harrington

When word got out that Paul Gaustad was traded to the Nashville Predators for a 1st-round pick in 2012, fans rejoiced. A 1st-round pick for Paul Gaustad? Who would have thought Darcy Regier would be able to swing that?

“It was a pretty tough day,” Miller said Tuesday to the Buffalo News. “I’m not going to lie. I’m not real happy about the way it all turned out. But that’s the business of hockey.”

Of course what Miller had to say was over-analyzed by the Buffalo media, like anything the former Vezina-Trophy winning goaltender says.

Buffalo News sports reporter Mike Harrington tweeted “Until the last 15 games or so, Ryan Miller has had enough trouble stopping the puck that he shouldn’t be trying to play GM too.”

While he’s right in saying what he had to say, it should be noted that if that’s how he, and the media in general, truly felt, then they wouldn’t put players in the position to try to “play GM” by asking players to give their thoughts about player movement. Of course, it wasn’t Harrington that asked Miller the question, but it’s nothing I wouldn’t doubt that a News sports reporter would do.

Miller has developed a crybaby image this year that many fans have pointed out to when things go bad for the goalie. It’s been fairly prevalent since Miller was barreled over by Boston’s Milan Lucic. Miller, of course, had a few choice words to say about Lucic in the locker room later.

Miller has never been afraid to voice his opinion on something, which is why this really shouldn’t be a big deal. He’s the same guy that told us weeks ago in Detroit that there was nothing the Sabres could do this season to right the ship and save the season. He’s the same guy that reiterated this same sentiment a day before the NHL’s trading deadline.

Besides, Miller brings up a great point about his former teammate.

“He does the things that are not easy to do every night,” Miller said. “It’s just too important for a hockey team, and it is a little frustrating in that regard”

Miller and Gaustad are really close. In fact, when Miller signed his long-term deal with the Sabres almost four years ago, he cited the Sabres signing Gaustad to a long-term deal as a significant move that furthered his belief that the Sabres were making the right moves to win a Stanley Cup championship.

While Gaustad’s defensive play will be missed, Ryan Miller may have gone a little overboard on this one. Sure, a player like Gaustad is the type of player teams look for at the trading deadline to help them win championships (see: Sammy Pahlsson). At the same time, did Miller truly believe that the Sabres could win the Cup this season?

From the way he’s talked lately, that’s unlikely.

Referring to the 2011-12 season, “There’s not ever going to be a trade in the history of the NHL that’s going to change something like this,” Miller said.

So something doesn’t quite add up. Sure, that’s how Miller felt about a month ago, and a lot can change in a month, but if we assume that Miller still thinks the Sabres can’t be fixed, then shouldn’t he be happy for his friend that he gets to go to a championship contender? Of course he should, but Miller more than likely wants to be there with the Goose when that moment happens.

Besides, the big thing Ryan Miller is missing is that Gaustad is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, free to sign with any team in the NHL. Who’s to say Gaustad doesn’t sign back with the Sabres over the summer?

Of course, if that’s what actually happens, the Sabres may as well have pulled off armed robbery.